SGM/SfAM Joint Meeting Grants

Purpose

The Society for General Microbiology and Society for Applied Microbiology have launched a joint initiative to promote microbiology in the regions. Grants of up to £2,000 are available to support short microbiology meetings in the UK and Ireland. The two societies will help to publicise funded events on their websites and in their members' magazines.

Rules

1. Grants are available to support two different kinds of meetings.
   
   

   1. Special Topic Meetings

      • These should focus on a particular field of microbiology and aim to bring together local scientists working on or interested in this topic. The meetings will normally take the form of a short symposium with invited speakers. It is anticipated that they will also provide the opportunity for microbiologists in the early stages of their career, e.g. postgraduate students and postdocs and new lecturers within 5 years of their first appointment, to make oral offered presentations. Offered poster sessions may also be held.
      • Delegates wishing to stay overnight will have to arrange their own accommodation.
        
        

   2. Local Microbiology Group Meetings

      • These meetings should provide a forum for local microbiologists of all disciplines irrespective of their employer, including postgraduate students. The format of the event will be at the discretion of the organizers, and its appropriateness will be judged by the award panel. The meeting should aim to foster the exchange of information and encourage collaboration within the local area.
        
2. At least one of the applicants must be a member of SfAM or SGM, but membership is not a requirement for meetings delegates.
   
   
3. The meeting should take place in the UK or Ireland.
   
   
4. The grant will cover reasonable speakers’ expenses for travel, meals and one night's accommodation where this is necessary, together with the costs of room hire, AV equipment and assistance, poster board hire and a contribution towards the costs of publicity and printing as appropriate. The maximum claim is £2,000. No expenses will be reimbursed for those presenting offered papers or posters. See 7 for the procedure for claiming the grant.
   
   
5. Promotional literature about the two societies should be made available at the meeting and the joint sponsorship acknowledged in all publicity material and programmes.
   
   
6. The award panel will be made up of equal numbers of SGM and SfAM executive body members.
   
   
7. Unless the grant and other sponsorship cover all the expenses of the event, a registration fee to cover the costs of refreshments, food and meeting literature should be charged.
   
   
8. Normally expenditure will be reimbursed retrospectively, unless a good case can be made for an advance payment. A claim form will be supplied which should be completed and returned to either SfAM or SGM HQ as directed, supported by copies of receipts for all expenditure. Expenses claim forms will be available for invited speakers which should be authorized by the organizers before they make payment. Copies should be submitted with the claim for the grant.
   
   
9. Applications will be considered on a first come, first served basis throughout the calendar year until all the funding allocated for that year has been expended. Applications for Special Topic Meetings should be submitted at least 9 months before the proposed event. Applications for Local Microbiology Group Meetings should be submitted at least 3 months before the proposed event.

Applications

Phil Wheat, SfAM, Bedford Heights, Brickhill Drive, Bedford, MK41 7PH, UK

or

Jane Westwell , SGM, Marlborough House, Basingstoke Road, Spencers Wood, Reading RG7 1AG

Application form file

Last modified 11 December 2009